


better to see you clear

by orphan_account



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxious Ryan, Depression, Dorks in Love, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Getting Together, Love at First Sight, M/M, Nurse Shane, Past Relationship(s), Phlebotomy, Ryan Bergara Loves Shane Madej, SO MUCH FLUFF, Shane Madej Is So Whipped, is there even a phlebotomy au, kind of, so much cute, very mild angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 17:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15645201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: ryan needs to get blood work done, but he picks up a boyfriend in the process.or, the one where ryan is sad and shane is soft for him





	better to see you clear

**Author's Note:**

> hiii if you don't like needles or blood, tread carefully. because shane's job requires both.

Ryan tapped his feet impatiently on the linoleum, watching as his ride took his time picking out a brand of bandaids that could have been picked up any other time, rather than right before his first blood lab of the new year. He wasn't necessarily looking forward to it, but he definitely didn't want to be late. His anxiety was pushing his irritation to the forefront and it really didn't make him pleasant to be around. He knew that, he didn't care if Brent knew that. He just needed to get there and get out before he tackled someone who looked at him wrong.

"Can you cut out the lame percussion, dude? This isn't high school band. I'm almost done. You'll be on time, I promise."

"You know this is aggravating for me," Ryan muttered, scratching the inside of his wrist and regretting his decision to leave his lucky bracelet at home. "I just want to go, get blood taken out of my arm, and leave. Can we just do that? Then you can stare at the Dora bandaids all you want--"

"Ah," Brent made an agreeable noise and plucked the box right in the middle of his vision and tucked it under his arm. "Were you saying something?" He looked over to Ryan, who was looking at him with all the contempt that an anxious man running semi-late for his doctor appointment might be. His friend just shrugged and proceeded to the front counter to pay, Ryan whining and dragging his feet as he followed.

The drive there wasn't as bad as he anticipated, as it was only three o'clock and everyone who actually had a job was busy except for Brent, who made up an elaborate lie in order to drive Ryan to this appointment that he'd been dreading for the past week.

"You sure you're okay?" Brent asked quietly, his wrists resting on the steering wheel as they sat in the shade, waiting until the last second to get out of the car. "I mean, all of this has to have totally wrecked your insides, but is your head okay?"

Ryan rolled his eyes, "My head's fine."

"Honestly?"

"Don't be a mom. I don't need two of those," Ryan said, wrapping his hand around the door handle, "But yeah. I'm all good. Great, even."

They pushed their doors open in unison, something they'd never noticed and probably never would, and walked up the uneven sidewalk toward the building that housed probably more needles than Ryan wanted to be near in his lifetime, much less for thirty minutes of his day. His Saturday, no less.

The waiting room was silent, even though there had to be at least ten different pairs of people sitting in utterly embarrassingly stiff chairs that he knew would wreck his posture, but he didn't plan on seeing these people for another month, anyway.

Ryan sat in the empty off-room, rolling one of the toy trucks for kids around with his foot as Brent signed him in. He had no idea how to do any of this, it had been awhile since he'd threatened his liver's health this bad.

"Okay," Brent slumped into the chair next to him before he could think about it any further. "We've only gotta wait like fifteen minutes but then we're golden."

"Right," Ryan let himself slouch as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and proceeded to check out just how bad the reception was in the place. And the answer to that was somewhere between God-Awful and Horrid, so he didn't bother. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and surveilled the place, wondering what they were doing there and if any of them were going to get their insides pulled to the outside through a small tube.

Brent was somehow completely fine with the worst internet speed ever and was content on his phone, but Ryan didn't want only one of them to be miserable.

"You going back with me?" Ryan asked somewhat shyly, knocking his shoulder into his friend's.

"You're an adult, why would I?" Brent answered without thinking before he paused and looked to Ryan in apology, "I mean... like, I'm pretty sure when they call you, they'll show you where to go."

"Oh, okay," Ryan said, glad that they'd reached that point in their friendship where the second they fucked up, they could explain and everything would be peachy. Ryan's anxiety was usually heightened by those weird situations, but it felt nice to get that Get Out of Jail Free Card so easily and without hassle.

After a long, not-so-comfortable silence, his name was called and without even looking up, tossing his phone into Brent's lap. He walked halfway across the room before looking up and making eye contact with absolutely the most ideal man he could have ever created in any generation of the Sims.

But this guy was a nurse. Or was he a phlebotomist? He wasn't sure. If this was going to be the man to take blood out of him, he was happy to oblige.

"Follow me," he smiled and held the heavy door open for Ryan, who stepped in and then to the side so that this handsome stranger could lead him to the room with needles or whatever the fuck he wanted because at that point, he was desperate to make a good impression.

Ryan followed the man down one of the most annoyingly confusing and narrow hallways he'd ever seen. He passed so many weird, tile rooms with those wooden benches with wax paper on them that he almost thought he broke the Matrix. He was broken out of his mental observations when the guy stopped and turned into a small room without a door where a giant chair with obnoxious arm rests sat up on stilts.

"You can sit there, uh..." The tall man squinted at a clipboard, holding it an inch from his eyes, "Ryan. Ryan Bergara. Huh."

"What?" Ryan looked at him, bewildered. That reaction wasn't anything like what he expected. Plus, the sound of his name—his FULL name, no less—coming out of those lips was one he was going to store away for later.

"You look super familiar. Do I know you?" The eyes were trained on him now, and he rested his bare forearms on the cold plastic arms of the chair and tapped on the edges as his heartbeat sped up. He prayed to God that he wasn't about to have a panic attack in front of the attractive person in front of him. His eyes accidentally fell on the tattoos that were peeking out from behind the light green sleeves of his scrubs and he drew in a quick breath.

"I think I'd remember you if we had crossed paths," Ryan said, almost breathlessly. He pulled his sweater sleeves down all the way, terrified of the reaction he might get if those dumb latitude lines and circular scars across the paler parts of his arms were hit by the overhead light.

"Well, maybe it's just deja vu," the man (Shane, as Ryan could read from his name tag) smiled and shrugged, placing the clipboard onto a countertop and pulling on a pair of gloves. He gave Ryan a look, one that was edging on confusion, before pointing to his left arm, "I'm gonna need that."

"Um?" Ryan looked down at it before quickly realizing what that was supposed to mean, "Oh, I've gotten blood drawn before. They get it from my hands. Can't find a vein in the elbow."

Shane squinted at him again but nodded and pulled out a drawer. He brought out a tourniquet, a needle (fuck), a couple generally small (but large in the case of filling them with his blood) bottles, and a giant tube. Ryan almost felt his heart flutter when Shane's hands took his right one and turned it around, looking at it. "Yeah, you have bunches of little scars where they've pricked you in this one. I don't want to hurt you. Do you mind if I--"

"I'm actually right handed, so that would work out well," Ryan rushed out.

Shane gave him a look, and Ryan would have flinched if the tall man didn't immediately follow it with, "Why didn't you tell me that, goofball? I don't want your hand aching while you're writing your number down. Hold on, let's switch this around."

Ryan wouldn't have caught the pickup line if he hadn't been staring at Shane's lips. He felt the tourniquet around his arm tighten and he opened his mouth to ask, but quickly looked away when he saw the needle. He took in a deep breath and held it. He had officially ruined needles for himself.

"Breathe normally. Focus on the breath," Shane mumbled quietly, "It'll make this a lot better."

Ryan nodded and took a few deep breaths. He felt the needle go in, a pinch he definitely hadn't missed, but he felt Shane's thumb gently rubbing against his wrist and decided to put all of his focusing power on that.

It wasn't long before it was over. Ryan glanced back over as a piece of cotton and some masking tape was wrapped around his hand to stop the bleeding. It hurt like a bitch, but he was willing to look past it if it meant not looking like a wuss in front of Shane.

"Alright," Shane said, standing and holding out a hand to pull Ryan out of the seat. He grabbed a scrap piece of paper and held it out to Ryan with a pen, "Number, please."

Ryan glanced down at the paper wearily, "Doesn't the clipboard already have my number?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure the number in your record belongs to a Mr. Brent Bennett, and I'm praying to my lucky stars that he's either your dad or a really good buddy," Shane pushed the things in his hands toward Ryan again, "And if all things go to plan, I hope to frame this later."

"Why is Brent's number in my information?"

"Um," Shane picked up the clipboard again and chuckled, "It says that you don't like phone calls."

Ryan's neck turned bright red and he frowned, "I mean, yeah, but.... this is embarrassing."

"Don't worry, no one likes phone calls. I promise I will not call without your consent," Shane said, grinning widely as Ryan took the paper and pen and hurriedly wrote his digits down as neatly as he could while his hands were shaking and his heart was beating out of his chest.

"Hey, I think..." Ryan stood up straighter as Shane tucked the paper in his pocket. "I think, like, you don't know what you're getting into. Or whatever."

"I definitely don't know what I'm getting into. But I have a feeling whatever you have in store is not only worth my time, but also going to make me incredibly clingy and annoying," Shane said, that goofy grin on his face untouched and consistent, "So I think you don't know what you're getting into either."

Ryan opened his mouth to respond but just closed his mouth and shook his head, unable to hold back a small smile. Shane's eyes lit up.

"I want to date you," Shane nodded to himself, "I get off work at five, can I text you then? Or even earlier?"

"Please don't text me while you're needling people," Ryan cringed.

"I won't. And if I am, you won't know it," Shane said, linking his pinky with Ryan's and leading him back down the hallway.

As soon as the heavy door closed behind him and he was back in that waiting room, his brain caught up to everything that had happened and his face turned even redder. He ducked his head and walked over to Brent, tugging on his sleeve so that he'd look up from his phone. And as soon as he did, his eyebrows raised and he stood, asking Ryan if he was having a panic attack, to which the shorter man responded, "No, but I have a date tonight."

-

Ryan sat on his bed, staring at his phone and watching as five o'clock rolled around and shone on the screen. He hadn't gotten any texts from his knight in green scrubs, and as much as he knew the guy had an actual job, he still felt bummed. And slightly embarrassed that he'd been staring at his phone since he left and waiting for the message that he wouldn't doubt would make his face break out in a grin that would split his face in two.

He laid on his back, spreading out like a starfish with his phone still tightly grasped in his right hand, hoping that Shane was a nocturnal person like he was and would be okay with a date later that day rather than tomorrow because if he had to wait to see Shane again he felt like he'd explode.

Sure enough, five minutes after he began thinking about things he could do to fill time tonight if Shane decided to wait until the next day, his phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number and he actually screamed.

_Unknown: Oh. My. God._

_Unknown: I'm so sorry I took so long to text._

_Unknown: Had a person that had never had blood drawn before. Took way too long._

Ryan grinned at his phone just like he knew he would. He changed the contact name to S.

_R: It's fine._

_S: Not really. Literally couldn't stop thinking of you._

_S: Hopefully that isn't overstepping._

_S: I only met you two hours ago._

_R: No, I've been the same. I wasn't going to be the first to admit it, though._

_S: Shit, did I make you uncomfortable?_

_R: No, I'm just a lot more anxious than you._

_S: You'd be surprised._

_S: Actually that might be presumptuous._

_S: maaaaaybe you're a little ahead._

Ryan scoffed. He was glad Shane clarified, though. He was obviously a very nervous and anxious person.

_R: Maybe._

_R: So... about that date...._

_S: YES_

_S: As soon as possible, please._

_S: Can't wait anymore._

_S: Actually, can we meet somewhere? Like right now._

Ryan stood from the bed and ran into the living room, where Brent was still trying to figure out the XBOX setup. "Hey, Brent, I'm gonna need you to drive me somewhere."

"Where?" He asked, placing the cord on the ground worriedly.

"Nothing's on fire. I just... I'm meeting someone."

"The guy? From the place?"

Ryan gave him a look, "Yes, the guy from the place."

"Where are we meeting him?" Brent asked warily. "If you say 'alley,' I might punch you."

"I, um... I actually don't know. Let's just get in the car and I'll text him while we're on the way," Ryan said, walking toward the door with his phone held two inches from his eyes as he feverously texted Shane.

_R: Where are we meeting? I'm on the way now._

_S: How about we meet in front of the lab and you can follow me to this really cool bookstore downtown?_

_S: Somehow I get the vibe from you that just a normal coffee place is too low-maintenance._

_R: No, that's fine. I love books._

_R: Also I'm getting a friend to drive me so would it be okay if I could just ride with you after we meet you in the parking lot of the lab?_

_R: Sorry_

_S: No need to apologize_

_S: I actually prefer this arrangement_

_S: We can talk more._

_S: Plus, you get to see my road rage for all of the fifteen minutes it takes to get from the lab to the champagne bar._

_R: Champagne bar?_

_S: Name of the place._

_S: For some reason._

Ryan rolled his eyes and slipped into the passenger seat, buckling up and waiting patiently for Brent to follow. He was surprised that he was so eager to go on this first date, but it was definitely happening, and as long as the care-free nature he had going on stayed while he was around Shane.

Brent opened the driver's side door and leaned down, giving Ryan one of his fatherly looks that he made when he worried that Ryan was rushing into something, "Ryan, I think you're rushing into this."

"I definitely am," Ryan replied, setting his phone on his thigh, "Shouldn't that be good? I would never do this."

"Yeah. You would never do this," Brent sat down but didn't make any move to start the car, "That's the reddest flag I could ever imagine in your world. If you’re not overthinking now, you will later."

"I... I really don't think I will," Ryan said honestly, "Like, this may be wishful thinking, but I openly flirted with Shane earlier. And I haven't regretted it."

"Okay, but... I'll be on call," Brent said carefully, fishing his keys from his pocket. "If anything makes you start to hyperventilate..."

"He works with needles, I'm sure he knows how to calm down panicked people."

"Not your type of panic. And I mean that in the best way," Brent muttered, starting the engine.

Shane's car was one of those cars you'd probably not notice in a crowd, but somehow, it fit Shane perfectly. Mostly because it was just the right size to where his head wouldn't be too close or too far from the roof of the car, which Ryan imagined was a criterion that ran through every tall person's mind when buying a car.

Brent insisted that he meet this tall, dark and handsome stranger before he took away his best friend, but as he pulled into a parking spot, he couldn't even start to unbuckle before Shane was on his feet and walking over with a smile on his face.

"Hi," he said as soon as the window was rolled down. "I'm Shane, you must be Brent?"

Brent looked over at Ryan, "You talked about me?"

"No," Shane quickly said, sensing the tension in the other man's voice, "You were listed as Ryan's contact, and I had a passing remark about it. You could have been anyone, I just made a guess."

Ryan grinned at him before unbuckling. "Thanks, dude. I'll call you if I need to be picked up."

"I'll probably be at Sav's," Brent said carefully, eyeing him. "But yeah, my ringer will be on."

"Okay!" Ryan opened the door and jumped out, running around the front of the car and giving a goofy smile to Shane, who mirrored his facial expression and they both shyly waved as Brent pulled out of the empty parking lot.

After watching Brent's car disappear around the corner, both Shane and Ryan turned to each other and simultaneously and passionately told the other, "I usually don't do this."

Ryan closed his mouth. Shane just gave him an amused look.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag," Shane laughed, he reached down and linked their pinkies again, "Let's go."

Ryan nodded excitedly, swallowing through the slowly increasing feeling that he wasn't foolish enough to call love, before following Shane to the just-right car and pushing everything in his brain aside for the time being.

-

They sat in the parking lot of the Champagne Bar for a long time. Both of them, totally unbeknownst to the other, were staring up at the building with the same terrified expression, their heads going through every possible way not to mess this up, because if this was the person they would spend the rest of their life with (and they were sure it was), they didn't want the story of their first date to be as embarrassing as it could be.

"Alright," Shane said eventually, swallowing through his dry throat. "Wanna go in?"

"Might as well," Ryan replied, his voice shaking much more than he would like.

"When you said you're more anxious than me," Shane glanced over at him with his hand on the door handle and a nervous smirk on his face, "I really hope you didn't put money on it."

"Shut up," Ryan laughed and pushed the door open. "You can't possibly be as freaked out by this as I am."

"Are we making this a competition?" Shane closed the door with his hip and held out his hand for Ryan to take, which he did with no hesitation. They both grimaced at how sweaty their hands were, so they reset by letting go and wiping their palms on their pants and reconnecting.

"I'm competitive," Ryan shrugged. He almost stumbled on the curb but caught himself.

"I figured." He held the door open for Ryan, who ducked under his arm and almost passed out from the combination of awesome coffee smell and the sight of the place. Bookshelves sliced and diced the large space into individual rooms, and when he glanced up to see that there was a separate floor altogether, he was pretty sure it was the same deal.

"Shane, this place is amazing!"

"I'm glad you think so. You liked my tattoos, I think most people who like tattoos like this place," Shane mumbled. He pointed to the counter that was just a few feet from the front door, "Do you want coffee? Or cake—dude. They have the best cakes here."

"I'm up for cake," Ryan said agreeably. When they stepped up to the counter, Ryan gripped Shane's hand just a bit tighter, completely overwhelmed by the large menu of things that hung over the various coffee machines.

"I can order something that I think you'd like, if you want," Shane told him, to which Ryan smiled and nodded.

Two cappuccinos and a frankly mammoth slice of coconut cake later, and they were sat on one of the couches near the back of the entire room. It had taken awhile to warm up--Ryan had his ankles crossed and Shane's left leg was bouncing so hard he was afraid it might fall off—but Shane had found a way to start conversation and Ryan thought he could smile any more than he already was.

Ryan had made a censorable noise after his first bite and Shane figured he could say something other than an icebreaker that would make Ryan uncomfortable, so he just said, "The only cake I've had that compares to this place is, uh. Near Chapman."

"Chapman?" Ryan asked excitedly, wrapping his hands around his over-sized cappuccino mug and made a surprised sound. "I went to school there."

"What a coincidence," Shane said, smiling to himself as his conversation starter landed. "So did I."

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "You went to Chapman?"

"Yep," Shane scoffed and looked at an imaginary onlooker before turning back to Ryan, "Did you like it there?"

"I'm a fan..." Ryan said quietly, hiding a smile behind his fingertips. "But I guess it depends on what you did on your free time."

"I would go to Vegas on Sundays," Shane said quietly, a reminiscent smile on his face.

"You gamble?"

"Hell yeah, man."

"I didn't make a routine of it, but I had my nights in Sin City," Ryan admitted.

"You planning on coming with me?" Shane smirked but quickly decided to take the opportunity to ironically praise himself, "I'm quite skilled at the gambling acts."

"I have a question," Ryan sat up straighter and leaned forward, cynically feigning interest, "How do you know that you're good at gambling?"

"Well, all the cute guys bring me free sodas," Shane bragged with a wide grin, "I guess they just notice I'm absolutely awesome and they come around with trays full of Pepsi."

Ryan broke out into laughter. Both of them felt eyes on them, but neither of them for the first time in their lives didn't care. He kept laughing but tried to explain what was so funny during his fit of giggles, "You... There are so many things that... are making me laugh... I can't."

"Well, explain!" Shane said, not even trying to hide his loving look toward the hysterical man, "I want to know what's funny so I can make you laugh like this again."

Ryan wiped his eyes, "I think they're giving you free sodas because you're doing badly and losing money, Shane! And why would you be flattered if you got a Pepsi?"

Shane gave him a pout. "Now I'm insecure about my gambling abilities."

"Good! Now you can do better things with your Sundays," Ryan said excitedly.

"Like go on dates with you?" Shane decided to just go for it.

Ryan shook his head, almost speechless, "I mean... yes..."

"Good! Should I bring out my calendar and book my next five Sundays?" He offered with a grin.

"If you think you'll forget," Ryan offered. He grabbed the fork and took another bite of cake. "I certainly won't."

Shane frowned, "I wouldn't forget either."

Ryan smiled, "No, I know you wouldn't."

"Good," he nodded, "I didn't want you to think I was more of a douche than I actually am."

Ryan didn't have an answer to that. He just stared at the other man, who just stared back at him.

"Hey, do you wanna..." Ryan gestured over his shoulder with his thumb, "I think Brent's spending the night with a friend..."

"You want to break the golden rule of first dates?" Shane asked with a smile.

"Which one?"

"The sex one, not the murder one."

"Yeah, I'm willing to break the rules."

"I have never been so attracted to someone in my life," Shane stood up and grabbed Ryan's hand, dragging him to the exit.

-

Ryan walked into his bedroom trying his best to seem unfazed his nakedness, using his towel to keep his hair out of his face like he always did. He pulled out a pair of jeans and the most convenient shirt he owned. He was completely dressed and shaking the towel out of his hair when he heard footsteps behind him. He almost wanted to turn and take in the sight of that beautiful and very tall man naked in his bedroom, but respected his privacy and didn't look. He also didn’t want to creep him out.

“I don't know what your size is, I have some boxers I never opened from Christmas if you’d like to borrow a pair,” Ryan said carefully, grimacing at the situation he'd put himself into.

“Sounds good." He could hear the smile and his cheeks burned.

“Like I said, still don't know your clothes size, but I like to wear big clothes anyway if you want to grab some.”

“I’m okay. Not the first time I've worn my clothes several days in a row,” Shane shrugged.

He'd never done that before so he wasn't sure if he should overact, but it felt like the floor was being tugged out from under him when he realized Shane was probably going to leave. He didn’t feel like pretending like he was feeling great about their arrangement, so he turned around and said, “I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.”

He swore he saw Shane's face fall, but Shane gave him a nod anyway before he turned his back to change.

Ryan shuffled down the hallway, chewing on his lip. He really didn’t want Shane to leave. He had enjoyed having company again, enjoyed not having to be in his head and worry that he was doing something wrong. He wanted more time with him, to get to know him better. Ryan found himself sitting with his head in his hands racking his brain trying to come up with a way to get Shane to stay when he heard Shane walk into the living room.

He sat up quickly, but not quickly enough, because Shane had a frown on his face, “Hey, everything okay, Ryan?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” he attempted. He'd never, surprisingly, had someone call him a nickname that wasn't mean before and it wasn't making it any easier.

Shane walked over and dropped himself beside Ryan on the couch. A second later, he wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pulled him in so their bodies were touching.

“Respectfully, I don't believe you,” Shane said quietly. “I know what you're doing. Talk to me.”

Ryan took a deep breath and tried to say what he was thinking without coming across as completely clingy and needy. “I... I just was thinking about how I wanna get to know you better... and how I don't want you to leave.”

Shane made a face of confusion, “Then why are you kicking me out?”

Ryan’s eyes widened. “I’m not! I would never kick you out! I’ve enjoyed having you here... more than I probably should considering our situation.”

Shane squinted at him. "You were just acting the way people act when they want people to skedaddle of their space."

Ryan groaned and shook his head. “That's not what I meant.”

“I know. I'm glad you're willing to admit that,” Shane said with a smile, and Ryan nodded cautiously, “Do you believe me when I say I want to stay here?”

“No,” Ryan said, quietly, looking at his hands that fumbled around in his lap.

Shane bumped his shoulder into Ryan’s. “I mean it when I said I like you. I said before that this isn't something I've done before, but if you want to, I think I’d like to keep getting to know you better.”

Shane looked very nervous, Ryan thought.

"Me too."

Shane shot him a smile and Ryan reacted immediately, smiling wider than he probably should have. “Let's stick with the Sunday plans. The... uh, dates. See if we keep getting along as we get to know each other better?”

Ryan placed his hand on Shane’s knee, which got Shane to turn to him completely, “I would like that very much.”

“Thank God,” Shane said through a laugh. “I was trying to figure out how I was going to keep my hands off of you if you said no.”

Ryan blushed again. “I would have the same problem with you,” he admitted.

“So you’re not kicking me out?” Shane checked, his smile growing wider with each shade of red Ryan's face passed through.

“Definitely not.”

-

When Brent returned to the apartment, Ryan was passed out on the couch with an empty La Croix in his left hand that was dangling off the cushion. He wasn't snoring, so he must have just dozed off about an hour ago, which probably meant that Shane had left about an hour and two minutes ago.

He went to wake Ryan up and congratulate him on a successful one night stand, but he heard a clang from the kitchen and raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that Shane was actually, in fact, still in the house, but the main question was why?

Shane obviously didn't know that Brent had entered, because as soon as he heard footfall behind him he launched into a story that Brent knew wasn't intended for him. Something about gambling.

"Hey," Brent said, not wanting himself to hear anything gross that he didn't want to.

"Oh," Shane jumped and turned around, sending a red-faced shy smile to the man standing in the doorway, "Sorry, thought you were... yeah."

"What are you doing?" Brent asked, trying to peek around Shane's figure and see what he was tampering.

"Ryan fell asleep, but he was complaining about being hungry, so I made him a sandwich," Shane held up the plate, "Do you know what chips he likes?"

"I'm sure anything you put on the plate, he'll eat," Brent muttered as he leaned on the counter, sporting a smirk that Shane wasn't sure he understood. "So, how'd it go?"

"How'd what go?"

"The sex," Brent squinted at him, "What else would I be asking about, right now?"

"Something that wasn't sex, probably. But, uh, it was cool," Shane said awkwardly, shifting in the kitchen. Brent wasn't sure if he should mention that Shane was lacking a shirt, but if he did draw attention to it, he felt like Shane might pass out. "I don't really know if I'm supposed to explain the mechanics of it, though."

"No, I understand how you do it," Brent laughed. He crossed his arms over his chest, but in a relaxed way, "I don't want to give you the whole spiel I give all of his boyfriends."

"Then don't," Shane said, tilting his head and mimicking Brent's posture with a peppy smile on his face, "Just give me a bullet point list and I think I can manage."

Brent looked him over before saying, "How many boyfriends have you had?"

"Two."

"And how many of those have had an almost terminal case of anxiety and/or depression?"

"Neither had anxiety, both had depression," Shane answered quickly. He was good at interviews. He could handle this.

"Well, Ryan has both. And do I want to ask how those other relationships ended?"

"You can ask, but I'll be super cryptic about it," the tall man smiled, "But no, you can tell me you're gonna beat me up if I hurt him, because frankly if I hurt him I might throw myself off a bridge."

Brent squinted, "Do you have anxiety and depression?"

Shane scoffed, "Duh. Can't you tell? I work with blood and needles for a living, that could only come from a dark place. Right?"

"I guess." Brent nodded, content with the man that stood before him. "I have a good feeling about you."

"Thanks?"

"Don't make me regret it."

Shane looked at his feet and let his arms fall to his sides. Brent wasn't moving, just staring at him, so he cleared his throat, "You want a sandwich?"

"Sounds heavenly."

An hour and a few day drinks later, Ryan woke up to raucous laughter coming from the kitchen and a sandwich on the coffee table with a Post-it note, telling him to stuff his face.

He pushed himself off the couch with a groan, stretching his arms over his head and kicking his legs over the side of the cushions. He wondered how long he'd been asleep, and had it not been for the two most familiar laughs in his world ringing out from the kitchen, he would have totally passed out again. Last night was intense.

Ryan peeked around the corner. A few discarded beers on the counter gave him the impression that at least one of them was somewhat buzzed, and both of them were struggling to use their hands like normal people but nothing too worrying.

"And once I went to his house and the girl he would later be cheating on me with was there, and I was really jealous but I didn't say anything about it," Shane said, laughing and gesturing with his hands, to a completely amused Brent, "And I beat myself up about it for like years, but he would have cheated on me regardless. If I told him I wasn't a fan of her, he would have brought someone else home and I would have started all over again."

"Did you beat him up?"

"Couldn't if I tried," Shane shrugged and raised his beer to his lips, and Ryan had to bite back a giggle at the bright pink straw that was poking out of it. Shane chased the straw with his tongue, "I'm not, like, the most ripped guy, if you can't tell. He was a big guy."

Ryan looked down at himself. He wasn't what someone could classify a "big guy," but he didn't have any time to feel bad about himself before Shane continued.

"I used to think that was my type, but like..." Shane looked over somewhere in the direction of the fridge with a shy smile on his face. He nibbled on his lip, "… I don't know, when I saw Ryan, I didn't.... like, I was willing to do anything for him."

Brent opened his mouth to say something, but he spotted Ryan in the doorway and waved him in, "Speaking of the angel!"

Shane looked over and grinned widely, holding out an arm for Ryan to insert himself, "Hi!"

"Heyyy," Ryan said, stepping into the space between Shane's arm and his body, wrapping his own arm behind Shane's neck. He blushed as Shane leaned his head onto his chest, "What are you guys doing?"

"We're talking about past relationships," Brent piped up.

"Ooh," Shane looked up at him, "How did you meet your last boyfriend?"

Ryan gave him a soft smile, "I met my last boyfriend in the parking lot of an old movie theater because we opened our doors into each other."

Shane made an 'aw' noise, "That's so cute. Super wild."

"Well, we met because you took blood out of me," Ryan muttered.

After a long silence, he looked up to see both Brent and Shane looking at him with half-misty eyes.

"What?" He asked, wondering if he said something wrong.

Shane stood up, stumbling a bit, but gathered Ryan in his shirtless arms and hugged him tightly, "You just basically called us boyfriends."

Ryan blinked a few times, carefully winding himself into the hug as well, "Is that okay?"

"More than okay," Shane pulled back just enough to kiss him. Brent clapped slowly from where he was sitting.

"You should probably stop drinking," Ryan mumbled to the two of them, "You'll regret it later."

"Probably, yes." Shane's arm slipped around Ryan's shoulders and he pulled him close, "Do you wanna go do something?"

"Um..." Ryan thought for a moment, but before he could say anything, he was being dragged back to his room. "Where are we going?"

"You look like you want to have sex again," Shane said plainly before ushering Ryan into the room and closing the door behind them. Brent was complaining, but no one cared enough to listen.

-

Ryan bounced up and down on his feet, silently pushing Brent to order his coffee just a little faster so that he could go to Shane's house. Finally! After an entire three days of knowing Shane, he was finally going to his house. And usually three days time after meeting someone wouldn't even account for one date, much less three dates and a visit to the other guy's house, but both Ryan and Shane knew that they had something special.

Brent was purposefully taking his sweet time, Ryan knew that much. It wasn't that Brent didn't like Shane, he certainly did, but he was certainly hesitant to allow his friend (who, a week ago, was lying unconscious in a bathtub) to go to another person's house by himself where nothing was familiar. Ryan, although overwhelmed by this amount of protectiveness from his friend, appreciated that he was cared for. But he also knew that Shane would care for him too.

Ryan swung his arms back and forth as he waited, but jumped and almost screamed as he accidentally brushed his hand against someone else's behind him. He turned to apologize, "Hey, I--"

"It's no problem," the man smiled at him. Ryan let out a breath, a loud sigh and went to turn back around. "I'm James."

"What?" Ryan's head whipped back around to look at him. If this guy was trying to hit on him, he was going to actually freak out.

"Woah," he held his hands out with a smile, "No need for any panic. I was merely introducing myself."

Ryan fought the urge to laugh in the guy's face. He hadn't heard the word Merely in upwards of a year. He actually would have laughed had it not been for the dread curdling in his stomach. "Cool."

"Well, what's your name?"

"Ryan," he said, completely disinterested and wanting the guy to know it. He turned back to Brent and tugged on his sleeve, "Please hurry, someone's hitting on me."

"I hear him. Just ignore him," Brent said over his shoulder, grabbing Ryan's wrist and tugging him over to the waiting area.

Ryan sighed in relief at being further away from James, but he felt fingers in his back pocket and almost jumped six feet into the air. Brent gave him a look, to which Ryan just breathed as calmly (although still shaky) as he could.

"What--" Brent looked over Ryan's shoulder to see the sleazebag smirking at them. "What made you think that was at all okay?"

"It was just a bit of fun."

Brent turned Ryan around and plucked the napkin (with James' name, address, and number on it) out of his back pocket. He was glad the coffee place he frequented was generally a wide space because Ryan would have been too overwhelmed in a small space.

"He isn't interested," Brent deadpanned, tucking the napkin into his own pocket. "But thanks."

"What, you two a couple?"

"Does it matter?" Brent asked, puffing up his chest subconsciously. Ryan wanted to roll his eyes, but if he took his mind off of counting to ten over and over again, he felt like he might faint.

"I suppose not. But you're obviously straight, so..." James shrugged and looked forward. "He's on the market."

"Actually, I..."

Ryan considered saying he had a boyfriend. But he didn't want to lie because honestly, he wasn't quite sure what he and Shane were. He felt it might be a stretch saying they were in a relationship after only three days of knowing each other. Plus, on the off-chance that he and Shane would be walking out in the world and this guy happened to walk by, he didn't want James to start anything and make Shane uncomfortable. Ryan shrunk in on himself, leaving the sentence hanging in the air. James smirked again.

As soon as Brent got his coffee, they were out of there. Brent's face was red with rage and Ryan was still trying to get a grasp on his breathing.

"Can you believe some of these guys?" Brent banged his palms on the steering wheel before starting the car, "I bet he's closeted or something. No way he could be a dick like that and not be compensating for something."

"Do you think I should have said Shane and I were dating?" Ryan asked quietly. He quickly sent a text asking what Shane's address was, to which he got an immediate response. He handed the phone to Brent.

"If you weren't comfortable saying it, I'm glad you didn't. Plus, if you did, that asshole would have twisted it and made you panic even more," Brent dug the napkin out and leaned over Ryan's lap, opening the glove compartment to shove it inside and slamming it closed. "We can burn that tomorrow."

Ryan nodded slowly. He held his own hand and told himself that as soon as he got to Shane's house he'd jump into the other man's arms and force him to cuddle until Ryan felt safe again.

And that was exactly what he did.

As soon as the door (of the ginormous house) was open enough for him to fit through, he leaped on Shane. Literally. Shane stumbled a bit, but Ryan knew he was an okay weight to be caught mid-air as a surprise, so he just clung to Shane's neck and held onto him. Shane made a surprised noise but just waved to Brent (who was sitting in the car and watching with an amused grin) before stepping inside all the way and closing the door.

"You okay, Ryan?" Shane asked quietly, one arm around Ryan's waist and the other on his ass (without any ulterior motives, both of them were assured).

"I missed you," Ryan said, his voice cracking like he was about to cry. "Some guy tried to hit on me in a coffee shop and it freaked me out."

Shane frowned and kissed the side of Ryan's head, "I'm sorry. Was he an ass?"

"Total ass," Ryan agreed. He sniffed and pressed a lazy and relieved kiss to the side of Shane's neck, "Sorry for jumping on you."

"I actually find this quite nice," Shane bounced him a few times with a chuckle, "Wish I could have punched that guy though."

"He was the size of a lumberjack, Shane, you would have broken your hand."

Shane sighed, "You're right. I'm not very strong. But I would gladly go to the hospital for you."

Ryan felt warm in his chest and leaned back so that he could see Shane, who tightened his arm around his waist when he saw his face. Ryan blushed at Shane's awed expression, "What?"

"When you jumped on me, I didn't get to see you," Shane said shyly. He moved the arm around Ryan's back to run his fingers through the dark hair. "You're pretty."

"You're pretty too," Ryan tilted his head. "You gonna hold me the whole time I'm here?"

"No, but I'm definitely going to carry you through the entire house tour."

-

Ryan's legs bounced up and down, shaking the chair and making the most annoying noise a chair could possibly make. Some of the jitters were from his lack of Brent in the room with him (Brent had to work early that day), but he was most nervous to see Shane like this again. He knew he had to do a re-test eventually, but he was nervous now because Shane probably had the clipboard with all the test results on it. The test results that most likely read something about Alprazolam and alcohol levels and a fucked-up liver. He was terrified that Shane would see him differently in that light. He doubted it, but it was still there. And the longer he was in the waiting room, the more he thought about it, and it was slowly suffocating him.

When he heard Shane call his name, he shot out of his seat and almost tripped over his feet. A few people looked up at him, but Ryan ducked his head and walked quickly across the room and under Shane's arm. As soon as the heavy door closed behind them, Shane placed his hands on Ryan's lower back and looked in his eyes, "Hey, are you okay?"

Ryan grimaced, "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're much more nervous than you were last time you were here, and we've had sex since then," Shane gave him a worried look before leaning in and gently pecking his lips. "Whatever you're nervous about, there's no need to be. It's just me."

"Can I..." Ryan pointed at the clipboard, "See that?"

"That's totally against the rules, but I have a feeling you aren't going to steal someone's identity. Stay on the top sheet, okay?" Shane held the board out at arm's length and Ryan scanned over the words. "See anything you like?"

"Where are the test results?" Ryan asked, peeking over the clipboard at Shane, who looked at him strangely.

"I just take the blood, babe. I don't know what the test results are unless the doctor purposefully thinks I need to know. Which, I'm pretty sure Dr. Cohen doesn't know we're, like, involved so she wouldn't tell me anything." Shane stopped rambling and looked down at Ryan, "Why did you want to see the test results?"

"I just was curious as to what they found. I'm a doctor."

"This is news to me," Shane dropped his arms to his sides with an impressed smile.

"I... own a stethoscope," Ryan mumbled with a smile.

Shane rolled his eyes and gestured for Ryan to follow him, "Sorry for the second appointment. Just a checkup, see if things are the same as a few days ago."

Ryan swallowed through a dry throat and pushed himself up into the uncomfortable chair. He pulled his sleeves down to his wrists while Shane's back was turned and tapped his index fingers on the fake, beige leather.

"No need to be nervous, Ryan," Shane said through a sigh. He turned around and leaned on the counter, "I don't want to do this because I know it hurts you."

"Just a little pinch," Ryan said with a shy smile.

"Still. I'm gonna give you the really gentle treatment and use the numbing spray and the butterfly needle," Shane walked across the small office space and opened a drawer labeled Infants.

"Don't use the baby needle," Ryan pouted, "I'm a grown-up."

"Yeah, but you're my baby," Shane muttered before gasping and turning to Ryan, "I cannot believe I just said that."

"You're making all the blood go into my face," Ryan complained.

"At least it isn't going elsewhere?" Shane kneeled next to Ryan and took his right hand this time. He wrapped the tourniquet around his wrist, "Okay, breathe."

"I am," Ryan said, squeezing his eyes closed. He felt cold against the back of his hand and smiled, "You're really using the baby stuff on me?"

"I told you before, yes, I am. Don't want to hurt you," Shane constructed the needle, loud clicks in Ryan's ear. "Okay, here we go."

The second lab took hardly any time, and Ryan almost frowned when he felt himself being patched up.

"Alright," Shane pressed a finalizing kiss to Ryan's hand. "You're all set, beautiful."

"Thanks," Ryan said quietly. He stood, selfishly stealing another kiss before officially heading to the door. He heard Shane whistling as he walked further away, but he couldn't just leave now. Not when there were so many things going through his mind, so many things to worry about.

He ran back down the hall and walked back in, startling Shane.

"Shane, are we dating?"

The other man's face went through many different emotions. He leaned on his counter, less to rest and more to balance himself. "I thought we were already, to be honest. Um... do you not want to?"

"No, no! I want to, I just didn't want to assume..." Ryan kicked an invisible pebble on the ground. "I... will I see you tonight?"

Shane looked at him for a long time, "Stay."

"What?" Ryan looked up.

"Stay with me today. During work. Bring your boyfriend to work day." Shane's face was practically blank but it was clear that he really didn't want Ryan to leave. He was begging with his eyes and Ryan could never turn down those damned eyes.

"Okay. I don't want to watch you put needles in people, though."

"There's a little curtain, um... here," Shane reached over and pulled a turquoise curtain across its tracks, splitting the room in two. "You can hang out on the other side. If you want, I mean."

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Ryan said, laughing. "Seems like it's breaking a rule or something, but okay."

"It's not." Shane finally broke the blank façade and smiled, pulling Ryan into a gentle hug, "Thank you."

Ryan played on his phone for the most part. He grinned sometimes when Shane would talk people through the "hurty parts," and no matter if it was an adult or a child, he would actually call them the "hurty parts." Between each patient, Shane would peek around the curtain and check on him. Ryan thought it might have been funny if he stripped down before the next time Shane checked on him, but he figured there was a lot of room for error there. So he settled on just his shirt, making sure he took it off during the last visit. It was worth the look on Shane's face and the way he closed the curtain the rest of the way and held and kissed him like he hung the moon.

Shane, after changing back into his people clothes and locking his locker back, took Ryan's hand and lead him to the parking lot to the car. Ryan had expressed concerns about not having an overnight bag, but Shane confessed as he locked up the building that he had bought Ryan some clothes to keep at his house just in case. Ryan's heart melted in his chest.

"Hey, um..." Shane stopped before they could get into the car. He looked torn for a moment, his eyes trailing over Ryan's face for a long while before carding his fingers through Ryan's hair and pulling him into a kiss. Ryan, although overwhelmed, accepted the kiss and fought the urge to push Shane back onto the car.

Eventually, they had to break apart for air, and Ryan used the breath to ask, "What's that for?"

"I... It's the most annoying thing ever, probably, but I just can't stop thinking about you," Shane admitted, looking away, "I've never known anyone like you. You're so amazing and kind and... so... so good."

Ryan laughed and covered his face with his hands. Shane gently dragged them away, though.

"I really don't want to lose you. I want you to know that," Shane said carefully, making sure to get across what he wanted to. "I'm also not going to say the L word for the first time in the parking lot of a vampire clinic."

"...Lesbian?" Ryan asked, choking slightly on whatever happy emotion he was feeling.

Shane rolled his eyes and kissed him again, "Get in the car, dumbass."

"Lasagna?" Ryan asked, slipping into the passenger seat. "Lamp?"

"You're so close," Shane beamed.

-

Shane trailed careful fingers over Ryan's back as he slept on Shane's chest. It was officially five days since he had met him, and he was already in love with him. Which, according to Ryan's reaction earlier that night, wasn't a bad thing, but it felt like it was going too fast. Like, way too fast.

He hadn't dated in awhile. A long time, actually. And those relationships had been officially bust. He knew Ryan was special, though. He didn't have any traits that matched up with the guys he usually dated, and he felt as though he had been blind for a long time. As soon as he saw that nervous man, he knew he wanted to be with him for the rest of his life. And he didn't want to tell Ryan yet because he was terrified of scaring him away.

Plus, Ryan hadn't even known if they were dating before their visit yesterday, so he frankly wondered if Ryan had the opportunity to see anyone else than him in the past five days. Maybe sometime between their first meeting and their first date? But the only person he'd seen then was Brent...

Shane reached across the empty side of the bed, careful not to wake Ryan up. He knew Brent was just a few rooms over, but if he got out of bed and woke Ryan up, he'd never forgive himself.

He was eighty percent sure that Brent was bi, but he also couldn't really be sure of that. If he knew hardly anything about Ryan in those five days, he certainly wasn't in any position to make assumptions about that friend.

"Um... hi."

"Hi, sorry, I'm just... I had a question, and now as I'm on the phone with you, it's stupid."

"... You were planning on asking me if I'm straight."

"Yes? How'd you know?"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. You're pretty protective."

"Thanks, I think," Shane looked down at a sleeping Ryan and brushed his fingers through his tangled hair, "So... are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you straight?" Shane practically whined.

"Bi. But Ryan is like a brother to me. All yours."

Shane made a relieved sigh and relaxed into the pillows that smelled overwhelmingly like Ryan.

"Feel better?"

"Yes," Shane admitted, "Thank you. I'll just... hang up, now."

"Alright, buddy."

Shane practically tossed his phone across the room when the call was over, wrapping himself around Ryan and allowing himself to sleep without worrying. He hoped the rest of Ryan's friends would be that easy and understanding.

A few hours later, Shane was awoken by Ryan crawling back into bed with a phone pressed to his ear. He opened an eye, looking strangely at Ryan who slipped back into Shane's arms.

"Hi, sorry.... I had a question, but now that I called you it's stupid," Ryan said, pressing a kiss to Shane's chest. Shane blinked himself awake. "Thanks."

"What are you... who are you talking to?" He grumbled, wondering what their name was so he could see if they went to his clinic.

"So, are you?" Ryan paused and looked up, making eye contact with Shane, "Are you straight?"

Then Shane caught on.

"Are you making fun of me?" Shane frowned for a moment before frowning even deeper, "Wait, you heard that?"

"Yes!" Ryan laughed and gave Shane his phone, "I would have actually called someone but I don't know your passcode."

"It's 1234," Shane said with an eye roll, pressing a kiss to Ryan's forehead, "I'm a simple man. All my passwords are easy."

"Well, now I'm tempted to..." Ryan had a new sparkle in his eyes as he opened his phone, "Do you have any social medias?"

"No, I don't have a use for it. I have an email, though."

"Yeah, that's not gonna work," Ryan said. "I want you to get some social medias so we can post about each other all the time and be cute and stuff."

Shane blushed at the thought, "I love that."

"I love you," Ryan said, not thinking about it. He opened Instagram and held the phone out at an arm's length to take a picture of the two of them. He made a caption, picked a filter, and posted it before realizing the goofy smile on Shane's face in the picture. He looked up at Shane, "What?"

"You just said you loved me," Shane mumbled.

Ryan looked horrified, "I..."

"You said it first!" Shane said with a wide grin, "Look at you."

"You implied it first..." Ryan blushed, "Aren't you gonna say it back?"

"If I must," Shane pulled Ryan on top of him and kissed his nose, "I love you too."

"What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?" Shane asked, confused.

"We fell in love with each other in five days," Ryan said, "What comes next?"

"Actually, for the record, I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you," Shane waggled his eyebrows. He loved to make Ryan blush, "But I don't know. Let's just wing it like we always do."

Ryan nodded, propping himself up on his elbows to look over Shane's face. "Sounds great."

-

Things were going fast, and they certainly didn't show any sign of slowing.

Before Ryan knew it, he was over at Shane's house every other day and when they weren't at the other house, Ryan had dragged Shane back to his apartment for dinner with Brent and they always had an impromptu sleepover. Brent was warming up to Shane, and Ryan was always beaming with pride when Brent would ask how his work was going, and Shane would answer with something positive and full of hope for progress.

But it was scary. Sometimes Ryan would wake up and find himself wrapped around Shane's waist like a heavy blanket and he'd wonder if this was okay. If forming a working relationship with routines and love within a month was okay. He wasn't yet sure how this kind of thing worked; he'd never dove headfirst into anything but a bowl of ice cream, so this was overwhelming. But good, at the same time. Confusing, definitely.

Everything was so easy. That was what was terrifying. He knew that Shane had his own share of bad past boyfriends, and that severely narrowed the chances that Shane would then project those terrible things onto him. Shane was good. But he couldn't not consider the possibility that maybe the fact that things were going so fast meant that the impending break up was approaching even faster, that when he hit the brick wall his guts would splatter everywhere and it would hurt so, so badly.

Shane was worrying too.

He was aware of Ryan's internal battles. He was a light sleeper. He could feel Ryan wake up sometimes, hear him mumble as he thought about things. Shane hadn't quite known Ryan long enough to know if he was someone to appreciate or loathe someone asking if he needed help, but if the pattern continued, he felt that he might have to.

Besides, how else would he explain what was going on in his own mind? All of those plans he was wondering about?

They hardly avoided each other. If anything, they were even closer. There wasn't but seconds in between moments that they were touching each other, and when Shane went to work, Ryan would follow. He even had his own nametag. Things were routine. Routine was scary.

The worst part was that Brent welcomed the changes with open arms. He was basically pushing Ryan out of the house and into Shane's bed, and even though he wanted approval, he didn't want it like this. Like Brent was counting the seconds until he'd get a break from Ryan.

"I'm not bored with you, Ryan," Brent said cooly, loading up the basket with frozen things that were on the opposite spectrum of healthy. "I'm just trusting you to realize when this gets too much."

"When what gets too much?"

Brent rolled his eyes. He grabbed a pint of ice cream, thought on it, and decided to grab another few coffee-flavored gelatos, because they never lasted long. "A relationship."

"Shut up! I'm good at relationships. I'm great at relationships, actually," Ryan took a box of Drumsticks and tossed it into the basket. "I like Shane a lot and I think we've got a lot of potential."

"Well, of course you do," Brent patted the side of his face, making Ryan grimace at the coldness of his fingers, "That's why every other night you call me panicking about something cute he did."

"I don't panic..."

"You certainly do something," Brent started to walk toward the registers, "Gay panic is fine, just unexpected in your case."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ryan pouted, dragging his feet as he followed his friend, "I'm not experiencing gay panic."

"Shane panic, then."

"No..."

"Okay, well," Brent sent a smile to the clerk before loading up the lifetime supply of ice cream and frozen comfort food onto the counter, "I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors in trying to lie to yourself, because I don't plan to strangle the truth out of you."

Ryan rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

A few hours later, when he shuffled into Shane's house with a bag of ice cream in either hand, he was greeted with a nervous Shane who quickly kissed his cheek and took the bags from him.

"Um... hello?" Ryan said, following Shane into the kitchen, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I've just been thinking about a lot of things," Shane said, his voice sounding normal but his entire body tense. He shoved the bags into the freezer before turning and leaning on the fridge.

"I've been thinking about things too," Ryan admitted, "I don't know if we're thinking about the same things, though. And it's kind of freaking me out."

"Same here," Shane said, relieved as his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. "Do you want to go first?"

"Go first?"

"Like, we're both freaking out over something we could easily fix by just saying it out loud," Shane tilted his head, "So let's just say it out loud."

Ryan squinted, "I... really?"

"I mean, if you don't want to, we don't have to. I just figure it might help you sleep," Shane went to stand and make something to eat, but Ryan placed his arm on Shane's before he could walk past him. "What?"

"Okay," Ryan nodded, "Let's just say it."

"On the count of three?" Shane asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I guess."

"Okay."

"One," Ryan said with a nervous but equally sly smile, not moving his hand from Shane's arm.

"Two," Shane said warily.

"Three!" They both shouted before saying simultaneously, "I think we should move in together."

Shane and Ryan stared at each other for a long time, mouths hung open in shock, before grinning widely and nodding to each other, somehow continuing to speak in unison, "I love you so much."


End file.
